Covid-19 Resources

Reliable, factual information to protect yourself and our communities.

We’re fighting to protect women’s health. Here’s how you can help!

As the world grapples with the devastating health and economic impacts of COVID-19, our mission to expand and improve health care is more important than ever. At the National Women’s Health Network, we’re taking steps to help prevent the virus’s spread while still fighting to improve the health of women in all their diversities.

In the near-term, NWHN staff are temporarily transitioning to full-time work from home status. We have canceled non-essential work travel and will be practicing additional social distancing measures to ensure the safety of our staff and to center the needs of those most vulnerable to serious infection.

But we haven’t stopped fighting for you!

Since our founding more than four decades ago, the NWHN has always worked to protect the health of women and their families. This crisis is a tragic reminder of why our work on the front lines to protect, expand, and improve health care and to pressure policymakers to make decisions based on science and evidence, not on profit or fear or ideology, is absolutely critical.

As we look ahead to what is likely to be an extended period of social and economic disruption, we are:

  • Fighting for Medicaid expansion in non-expansion states to close the coverage gap through our Raising Women’s Voices campaign
  • Fighting to make coverage accessible to everyone, regardless of immigration status
  • Publicizing the ways that the pandemic may fall hardest on women, who are more likely to serve as caretakers and health care workers
  • Shining a light on the consequences of pandemic for reproductive health care when pregnant people still have to physically collect abortion pills in person or go to a clinic for a birth control prescription

Take Action

We’re also pushing our elected officials to take bold action now to:

  • mandate paid sick and family leave
  • increase Medicaid funding for states
  • protect service workers as social gatherings are closed or canceled
  • provide unemployment and food assistance
  • ensure free testing and treatment
  • and protect health care workers and their families

You can help by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and telling your senators to support bold action in the face of this looming public health threat.

Covid-19 Updates

Answer: You’re absolutely right! The Delta variant has been making headlines since it first came on the scene. The NWHN has analyzed the information currently available online so you don’t have to. Here are the facts as of today.

COVID-19 Myths Debunked

By: Kristen Batstone ,

As the pandemic persists, information on COVID-19 continues to evolve. The purpose of this article is to debunk popular COVID-19 myths, using accurate information rooted in science and backed by evidence.

Testimony Delivered to the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee

While several big questions remain, we have a good sense now of the rough outline of the final package and its impact on the ACA.

Can I safely date during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

By: NWHN Staff

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we are highlighting how folks can safely date during COVID-19.

Comments submitted to the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee

Your Questions About the New COVID-19 Vaccines – Answered

By: Cindy Pearson and Sarah Christopherson ,

How safe are the vaccines? How effective? Were they tested in people like me? Was the approval process influenced by political pressure? Here’s what we know.

The NWHN ultimately applauds the FDA Advisory Committee’s decision, but believes that transparency now and going forward is key. We urge the FDA to keep the public informed about the vaccine’s safety, efficacy, and side effects as it is distributed at scale. Further, we urge other vaccine sponsors seeking authorization to submit robust data for all deeply impacted populations. Read our full statement here.

Testimony Delivered to the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee

Testimony Delivered to the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee

In order to engage BIPOC in clinical trials, companies and our government both need to espouse and engage in values, ethics, and practices that protect human lives; recognize and respond to the challenges that impact participation; and earn the trust of rightfully suspicious potential trial participants.

Women appear to be less susceptible to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. But even as women face less risk from the disease itself, they face much more risk from the social and economic devastation that the disease has wreaked, highlighting the deep inequalities in our economic, social, and health care systems.

Long-standing systemic inequalities including racism and inadequate access to care have led to unconscionable health disparities during the pandemic.

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to impact everyone, it is imperative that consumer make safe choices with regard to the personal care and beauty products they use. The virus can be deadly, especially for those with suppressed immune systems.

As the United States nears the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is natural to hope for treatments that can save lives. But when experimental drugs are promoted by a president who has consistently eschewed and misrepresented science, consumers and patients have to exercise caution.

As health care workers inevitably reduce the attention they give to people in labor in order to attend to the pandemic, support persons will be instrumental in making sure mothers and infants receive the care they need.

As COVID-19 spreads around the globe, one trend is increasingly clear: the disparity in how COVID-19 affects men versus women.

Although you might feel totally healthy, you could still be contagious, so going out to a restaurant, bar, or continuing nonessential travel puts vulnerable populations at greater risk for infection. 

Regardless of age, there are precautions all of us should take: frequent, thorough handwashing, avoiding nonessential travel and large groups of people, and disinfecting frequently touched objects. One of the most crucial steps those over 60 can take, though, is to avoid visiting with grandchildren and other young people.

Wash Your Hands! And Other Tips for the Coronavirus

By: Mara Lurie and Sarah Christopherson ,

You’ve read about the novel coronavirus in the news, but what is it, and what can you do to stay healthy and safe?